Dangerous Game
by JillianCasey
Summary: Beckett is jealous. Castle wants to play a game. This could be dangerous.
1. Chapter 1

Kate Beckett was not a jealous woman.

Once, in college, just before her mom had died, she'd caught her boyfriend at a sorority party necking with a freshman who'd decided that a bra and shorts were appropriate party attire. He was supposed to be at home, sick. Although to be fair, the freshman's tongue down his throat did make it look a little like he was vomiting.

Kate wasn't much of a partier, so his assumption that she wouldn't be there wasn't too far off. But that particular night her group of friends had somehow talked her into stopping by the party. She'd spotted him as soon as she walked in. He didn't see her right away. She felt a stab of hurt, of course; she wasn't inhuman. And then something else had happened. Something she couldn't quite explain, except for chalking it up to a torrent of self respect.

It happened just as he stopped sucking the freshman's face long enough to glance at the door. He spotted her, his eyes widened, and he lunged to his feet.

"Kate! Umm, what are you…I mean, this is my friend Kim…"

She'd laughed. Honest to God, she'd laughed. Then she'd leaned forward, thumbed the lipstick smudge off his cheek, and wiped her thumb on his shirt.

"Nice knowing you, Jake."

And that was that. Her friends had been impressed, but Kate was more pleased with how proud her mother had been when she explained why Jake wouldn't be coming around anymore. So pleased, in fact, that she internalized it and turned it into a lifestyle. Hence the reason why she wasn't a jealous woman.

But something was wrong. Very wrong. Because if it wasn't jealousy gnawing at her intestines, then what was it? If she wasn't a jealous woman, then why was she currently wishing she could sling the annoyingly perky Amy Lawson up on a rack at the shooting range, and rip a few rounds into her via the department issued Sig Sauer on her hip?

Amy Lawson was Castle's new girlfriend.

Yeah. Girlfriend. Castle had a girlfriend. What the hell.

He'd been babbling about her for three weeks. Kate had only half listened, because _man_ did he talk a lot. Plus she'd assumed that it wouldn't last. Castle's women never did.

Except Amy didn't go away. For three weeks he'd talked about the same woman, when his track record was usually three hours. And now, as if wanting to rub it in her face that she'd assumed incorrectly, he'd brought Amy to the precinct.

She was nice. Perky. Pretty. Blond. Kate wanted to punch her. Or Castle. She couldn't decide which.

She wasn't jealous though. Nope. Not a chance. She didn't even like Castle. She didn't like when he invaded her personal space and sniffed her hair in what he thought was a subtle way but was actually the complete opposite. She didn't like when he told her she smelled like cherries, didn't like when he called her his work wife, and certainly didn't like when he told the whole world via his new bestseller that he thought she was extraordinary.

Nope. Didn't like him at all. And if she didn't like him, then she definitely wasn't jealous.

Kate watched Amy walk away, oblivious to Castle's eyes on her instead of on his new girlfriend. Kate's eyes traveled over Amy's long legs, her perfect blond hair that bounced with every step, and she felt another pang of the weird sensation that had taken over the pit of her stomach ever since Castle had said "Detective Beckett, this is Amy Lawson."

It wasn't jealousy. She'd just had too much caffeine without balancing it with food. She really needed to limit herself to three cups a day.

Kate turned her back on the blond and started rustling through the papers on her desk, looking at them but not really seeing them. The precinct was empty; she'd been finishing up some paperwork when Castle had decided to show off his blond.

"So what do you think?" Castle's voice came from behind her. She couldn't place his tone.

Kate shrugged. "She's great, Castle."

"You really think so?"

She tried to ignore the hope in his voice, the subtle need for her approval. It didn't mean anything - not when they were talking about a leggy blond.

"Sure."

"I mean, I thought you'd like her," Castle continued. "She's got a lot of really nice qualities. She's smart, funny, pretty…"

Castle trailed off when Kate snorted loud enough for him to hear. "Is there anything she isn't?"

She expected some type of smart ass retort; something that was oh-so-typical from Richard Castle, but what she got instead was silence. She tried to ignore it, still rustling with her papers, completely unwilling to chance a glance behind her to see the expression on Castle's face. She didn't want to know – she was _afraid_ to know.

"She isn't you."

Beckett froze, her fingers clasping the papers absently. She swallowed hard as her heart started thumping and the feeling in the pit of her stomach morphed into something else.

"Lucky you," was the only thing she could think to say.

She heard him chuckle softly. "I was thinking quite the opposite, Detective."

The feeling in her stomach intensified. She searched blindly for something, anything that could change the path they were headed down.

"Castle," she sighed, "I'm really not in the mood for your humor right now. After a day like today, your jokes aren't particularly welcome."

There was another vague silence. Kate jumped when she felt his hands suddenly close around her upper arms. His body pressed into her from behind and she felt his mouth next to her ear.

"Who's joking?" he whispered.

Kate's eyes closed automatically as a wave of goose bumps took over her skin. She was silently grateful that she was wearing long sleeves and he couldn't feel the shiver that raced across her skin.

She swallowed, working up the nerve to turn around. When she finally did the proximity of his face, only inches away, sent a jolt of electricity through her body.

"I'm not in the mood for games," she told him, and she was dead serious. She couldn't take any teasing; not tonight, and not after Amy.

There was a twinkle in his eyes, but it wasn't the one he typically had; it was different somehow, serious in its own way.

"Neither am I."

She pushed him away by pressing a hand to his chest. It was unnerving to be trapped between him and her desk. She ignored how solid he felt beneath her hand; she definitely did not need to start having _those_ thoughts.

"You're always in the mood for games," she argued. "So why don't you go play one with your girlfriend and leave me to work in peace?"

He took a step toward her, closing the distance that she'd just earned with her push.

"She's not my girlfriend."

Kate frowned. Really? Now that he mentioned it, she supposed he'd never actually called Amy his girlfriend. She had just sort of assumed…

"And I'd rather play with you."

"You don't mean that."

"I don't?"

"I'm serious, Castle. Tonight isn't the night to push my buttons. I've had a long day and I've got work to do. Go play with Amy."

She started to turn away from him but his hands reached up and gripped her shoulders, holding her in place.

"I would rather work with you than play with Amy, you know."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Charming."

"I'm serious," he continued. "You have to know by now what I think of you."

Kate looked him straight in the eye. He was being uncharacteristically somber. It was a little unnerving, because it made her want to take him seriously. "Oh, I've known from day one. I'm your next conquest."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Detective."

"It's _you_ I'm not giving any credit. You have the attention span of a goldfish."

"_Had_ the attention span of a goldfish," he corrected. "Before I met you."

Kate shook her head. "What are you playing at, Castle? Is tonight the night you have us hitting the sheets in the office pool?"

He laughed. "I didn't put any money in that pool, Beckett."

"Oh? Worried your charm doesn't work as well on someone with an I.Q. higher than that of a rock?"

"No. I just figure you deserve better than being a bet in an office pool."

Kate couldn't help it; she was flattered. She hated how he could do that; charm her when her guard was at its highest. What on earth would he be able to do if her guard was down?

"That's sweet," she muttered, "but I really don't have time for this."

Castle ignored her, his hands starting to massage her shoulders. "You're tense," he observed.

"I can't imagine why," she shot at him, giving him a pointed look.

"Agreed. Babysitting Ryan and Esposito is a real pain in the ass."

The smile spread across Kate's face before she could stop it. Castle's grin matched hers.

"See? Isn't it nice to smile? Isn't it nice to loosen up a bit?"

"I'm plenty loose, thank you," Kate retorted. She paused when Castle tilted his head, and then realized how bad her last statement sounded. She felt a blush rush over her face.

"Um, I mean not _loose_. Not in the way that…I mean…"

Castle placed a finger over her mouth. "I know what you mean, Kate."

She stared at him. He never called her Kate. She realized she was pinned between her desk and his body again. He lowered his finger.

"I can't imagine you as a conquest, you know."

She raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"No. I can't imagine walking away from you. I mean when you were mad at me for…you know…"

He looked suddenly sheepish. "Sticking your nose where it didn't belong?" she suggested.

He shrugged. "Yeah, sure. I was going to go with being selfish, but yours is nicer. Anyway, that was rough. I didn't like not being able to see you every day. Ask Alexis. I ate a whole pint of Rocky Road in one sitting."

Kate smiled at the image, but she couldn't ignore the implication of his words. "That's easy for you to say now. But things would be different after..."

"After what?"

His smile was absolutely devilish. She swallowed. "After whatever it is you're thinking about right now."

Castle leaned in closer, licking his lips. "You want to know what I'm thinking about, Becks?"

He'd started calling her that a lot lately. Ryan and Esposito had been ripping on her for it.

"Not particularly."

"I'm thinking about how you're wrong," he whispered anyway. "I wouldn't feel any different. And I would really, really like to prove it to you…"

He was leaning in, closing the distance between their lips, and for some reason that was escaping her at the moment Kate wasn't stopping him. All she could think about was how he thought she was better than an office pool and how maybe Amy Lawson had no more on her than that skanky freshman sorority girl had.

She briefly thought about shoving him away, maybe turning her face away and giving him the cheek, but she didn't. Instead she let her eyes slip closed and she could feel his breath on her lips when…

"Whoa."

Kate shoved Castle away from her quickly and looked over to see Esposito and Ryan standing a few yards away, staring at them. She took a deep breath.

"Guys. Hey. We were just-"

"Playing a game," Castle interrupted. Kate glared at him and he grinned. She turned back to her detectives.

"We didn't mean to interrupt," Esposito said around the grin taking over his face.

"Yeah, sorry," Ryan piped up. "We'll just go…"

"Don't go," Kate called after them, but they were already turning away. She saw a twenty dollar bill slip from Ryan to Esposito and then they disappeared behind the closing doors of the elevator. Castle was suddenly sidling up to where he had been, his lips lowering toward hers.

"Where were we?"

"You were going home," Kate said, stopping him with a hand to his chest. "I was doing paperwork."

He pouted. "Oh come on, Becks. I liked where this was going…"

"Well that makes one of us. Go home, Castle."

"Wanna come with me?"

"No."  
"Can I come home with you then?"

"Not a chance."

"Beckeeeeett…"

She would never know how he had mastered a whine that was pitch perfect with a five year old. "You have a leggy blond waiting for you," she told him, her eyebrows raised. "And I have Christina Baylor's paperwork waiting for me."

He pouted. She refused to let herself think that there might have been something cute about it. She turned her back on him and reached for the paperwork.

"Good night, Castle."

She really thought she had him. She'd used what Castle called the "boss-lady" voice, she'd cocked her eyebrows threateningly, she'd even referenced the leggy blond in hopes that the ADD child within him would remember the adult pleasures that could possibly be waiting for him with perky Amy. That's why she literally jumped when he pressed his front in line with her back and reached his arms around her to push the paperwork in her hands back onto the desk.

"Kate," he murmured in her ear. She stifled a shiver.

"What?" she snapped.

"I changed my mind. I want to play a game."

"Castle-"

"Rick. Why don't you ever call me Rick?"

It was really hard to think when he was pressed up against her and his breath was warming her ear.

"Fine. _Rick_. Don't you think this is a little inappropriate?"

"If we were savvy Detective Beckett and debonair novelist Richard Castle, maybe. But as Rick and Kate? Totally appropriate."

Suddenly he was gripping her arms. He spun her around and pressed himself into her body in the same instant. His hand held the small of her back which was curved as she held her head away from his. He lowered his lips an inch away from hers as his other hand came up to cradle the back of her neck.

"Want to play a game?" he murmured.

Kate bit her lip and weighed her options. It was Castle, after all. This probably wasn't a very good idea. They worked together. He was quite the ladies man. He had a…well, he had an Amy. Not to mention he usually acted like a twelve year old. Nothing about this seemed good.

But just like she couldn't control her jealousy, she couldn't control what came out of her mouth next.

"What kind of game?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Thank you for all your reviews! They are so very, very appreciated, whether they are praise or constructive criticism. Please keep them coming, and I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it **___

"Strip poker."

"No."

"Strip charades?"

"No."

"Strip Monopoly?"

Kate frowned. "How would that even work?"

Castle shrugged. "Easy. Instead of collecting $200 when you pass go, you collect a piece of the opponent's clothing."

"Why do I get the feeling you've played that way before?"

His smile was wicked, but not nearly to the degree that his eyes were as they flickered down to her lips and back up. "I never pass go and tell, Detective."

She let it slide, because she really didn't want to know. "Why don't you try for something that doesn't involve the word 'strip'?" she suggested.

"I can work with that. Let me think…" He wrinkled his forehead in thought. Half a second later his blue eyes widened excitedly and met hers. "_Naked_ poker."

Kate finally pushed him away and straightened, smoothing out her shirt absently. Somehow when she'd been in Castle's arms it had started inching up around her waist…

"Absolutely not. In fact, I'm pretty sure my clothes aren't going to come off at all."

"Well not by themselves, silly. That's where I come in."

Kate planted her hands on her hips. "Do you actually have a game you want to play, or are you just utilizing a clever innuendo as a way to feel me up?"

"Would you slap me if I said the latter?"

"I'm more of a kick to the groin kind of girl."

His hands instantly moved to cover himself as his knees bent inward. Kate smirked. "Anyone ever told you you're an easy mark, Castle?"

"No. Although I certainly won't object to you calling me that. Truth is I'm totally willing to be easy when it comes to you. I was never a fan of playing hard to get."

"Really?" Kate asked, her voice dripping in sarcasm. "I never would've guessed."

She knew she was smiling, mostly because of the way Castle's responsive grin was so wide he looked like the Cheshire Cat. She'd noticed over the past few months that his smile always seemed wider whenever he saw that she was smiling too. Not that she watched him or anything.

"So are you serious about playing a game with me?" he asked after a moment.

"Are you serious about wanting to play one? Isn't your girlfriend waiting for you?"

He shook his head and she detected the hint of a smirk playing at his lips. "First of all, she's not my girlfriend. Second of all, she just stopped by on her way to meet some friends. I've got the whole night to myself, free to do whatever I please."

She couldn't ignore the way his eyes raked over her body. She did, however, ignore the blossom of heat in her abdomen. It was just hunger pains, the same hunger pains that had bothered her when Amy arrived. That was her story, and she was sticking to it.

"Maybe Alexis would like to spend some quality time with her dad."

"She's at a sleepover. They're probably painting their toenails now."

"And Martha?"

"Date with Chet. She won't be home for oh, I don't know, two days?" He took a step toward her. Kate took a step away and the backs of her legs brushed against her desk. Shit. Trapped. "Looks like it's just you and me, Becks."

"You, me, and Christina Baylor. Paperwork, remember?"

"You can't spare some time for a game?"

Kate sighed. "If it means you'll get the hell out my hair and let me finish my paperwork, sure. I can make time for a quick game."

"Oh, I wasn't looking for this to be quick."

Kate raised her eyebrows. "No? I would've thought quickies would be your expertise."

"My expertise is only known to a few select women, Detective."

"Right. As in half the women in New York."

His hand thudded against his chest, clutching at his heart. "You wound me, Beckett."

"Just pick a game, Castle. You want me to whip you in Texas Hold 'Em and send you home with a little less cash?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, observing her through blue eyes that were twinkling mischievously. "How about a little game of truth or dare?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"I never kid about truth or dare."

Kate let out a short, sharp laugh. "There's no way I'm playing truth or dare with you."

"What about just truth?"

She folded her arms across her chest. "You mean so you can have an excuse to ask me all sorts of personal questions as research for Nikki Heat?"

She watched as his face melted into the same seriousness that had unnerved her earlier. "I may be writing a character based on you, Kate, but the majority of my questions have nothing to do with Nikki Heat."

Damn it. He was calling her Kate again. And his eyes were all serious and blue and her hunger pains that might not really be hunger pains were making the tips of her toes tingle. What the hell was wrong with her?

"I'll make you a deal," he said next, closing the distance between them so that they were standing way too close for it to be considered socially appropriate. Kate looked up at him. Had he always been that much taller than her?

"If I ask you a truth and can answer it myself, you have to have dinner with me tonight and finish the paperwork tomorrow."

"And if you can't answer it?"

"Then I'll leave you in peace to do your paperwork."

She eyed him for a moment, suspicious. "What's the point of asking me a truth if you're just going to answer it yourself?"

He smiled. "To prove to you that not everything I know about you is for Nikki Heat. Most things I know just because…well, because you're extraordinary. And I kind of like you." His smile twitched. "But only kind of," he added teasingly.

"It can't be something stupid," she told him. "Like my favorite color or how I take my coffee. If it's something Ryan or Esposito would know…"

"It's not. Trust me."

Trust him. Well that wasn't a loaded statement at all. Kate found herself weighing her options once again. She couldn't see how Castle could possibly know something about her that nobody else knew. And even if he thought he did, the odds of him being right were slim to none. She was pretty safe, wasn't she?

She prayed to God and whoever else was listening that she was. Because she absolutely could not have dinner with Castle, no matter how bad her so called hunger pains were.

"Okay, Castle. Lay it on me."


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Yes. It's short, it's a cliffhanger, and you all will hate me for it. But trust me; the story is much better this way. I promise. Winter break is a beautiful thing, so updates may be rapid fire for a bit. Objections? As always, reviews are much appreciated. Oh, and I don't own Castle. Darn.**_

"You smell like cherries."

Kate stared at him. The look on his face was so unbelievably serious that she busted out laughing. "Really, Castle? That's your truth? That I smell like cherries?"

"No. That wasn't a question. A truth has to be question."

She smirked. "Right. Sooo…are you going to turn that into a question?"

"The question is _why_ do you smell like cherries?"

"Shower gel? Perfume? An unhealthy addiction to Shirley Temples?"

He smiled, amused. She knew he loved when she played along. "I'm the one answering the question here, Becks. And by the way, Alexis and I have Shirley Temples with our dinner every Thursday night. You're more than welcome to join us. Mother usually spikes hers with Absolut, but I promise you that-"

"Castle."

"Yes?"

"You were going to tell me why I smell like cherries."

"Ah, yes I was."

Kate resisted an attention span joke. "And you're sure the answer has nothing to do with shower gel, perfume, or Shirley Temples?"

"Yes, quite sure."

"Okay. Enlighten me, then. Why do I smell like cherries?"

"Because it's what your mom used to smell like."

Kate's smile slid straight off of her face and shattered all over the floor. She stared at him. She felt every muscle in her body go utterly rigid, freezing her into a terribly uncomfortable posture. Her mouth was suddenly dry and hanging open as her brain searched and failed to find a response. She battled the memories and the feeling of nausea that took over every time she hadn't had time to mentally prepare herself to think about her mother.

Castle's eyes held hers insistently. There wasn't a trace of humor in his expression, and she was glad. If there had been she would've made good on her threat to kick him in the groin and then told him not to bother ever coming back to the precinct again. But he wasn't being a jerk; the look on his face told her that he was completely serious.

"I'm guessing you started wearing her perfume after you lost her," he continued softly. "Just as a way to remind yourself of her. Every time you smelled it you thought of her, and you liked that. Then you ran out of it, so you went and bought some more. Pretty soon it became your scent as much as it was hers."

Kate closed her mouth and broke eye contact. She clenched her jaw, swallowed, and cursed the annoying wet heat that was sitting just behind her eyeballs. The memory of spraying her mother's perfume onto her black dress the day of the funeral blindsided her, leaving her head spinning.

She refused to look at him; she focused on a scuff mark on the floor a few feet away. "How did you know that?"

"While you figured out who killed Christina Baylor, I figured out why you smell like cherries."

She finally looked at him. "What?"

"Christina's sister didn't see the killer, remember? Since you're so brilliant, you thought to ask about her other four senses. She said he smelled like wood. You put two and two together after that; the pet store where Darius Metzer worked reeked of wood from the wood chips they sell as hamster bedding. It gave us a reason to look at him closer."

Kate stared at him blankly, trying to understand, but she didn't. He didn't get impatient.

"When you figured it out we were in Macy's, remember?"

She nodded. "I remember. We were at the perfume counter waiting to talk to Christina's roommate."

"Yes. You picked up a bottle of the perfume you wear and smelled it, and then you asked me if I thought it was funny how we associate smells with people. How a certain smell can remind you of someone. That's how you got the idea to ask Christina's sister what the killer smelled like."

Kate stared at him, waiting for the connection.

"When you said it, you touched your mom's ring." He nodded toward her neck, where the ring hung on a loose chain. "You didn't realize it, but you smelled your perfume and then you touched your mom's ring and started talking about how smells remind us of people. I made the leap and put them all together."

Kate saw the connection now, and marveled at the way he'd put it together. She hadn't even realized she'd touched her mom's ring when she'd said it. That made it all the more impressive; she hadn't realized it, but Castle had. No wonder he was such a good writer.

She kept her awe to herself. "That's a pretty far leap," she said instead.

He lifted his right shoulder in a half shrug. "Maybe. But the point is I wouldn't leap like that for Nikki Heat. Only for Kate Beckett."

She tried to look away. Really, she did. Eye contact with a man who knew her way better than she had ever given him permission to was disquieting, terrifying, and sort of fantastic. But she couldn't look away. He didn't either.

"So," he prompted gently. "Is this the part where you kick me in the groin for making assumptions about your personal life?"

She couldn't help it; she smiled. "No. This is the part where I gracefully admit defeat and ask you where you're taking me to dinner."


	4. Chapter 4

"Wait, let me get this straight," Kate said, trying to talk around a barely stifled laugh. "You actually jumped out of a moving cab…"

"And onto the hood of the cab next to us, yes," Castle finished, his grin so wide the corners of his eyes wrinkled a bit.

Kate let her laugh fill the car, swiping at her eyes. God, she was _crying_ she was laughing so hard. She couldn't remember the last time that had happened.

It had all started when they'd pulled out of the precinct parking deck to go to dinner. First they'd argued for twenty minutes about who should drive. Kate was vehement about driving because it had finally sunk in that she was actually going to let Richard Castle buy her dinner. Castle had won in the end, him and his Porsche, partly because he reminded her he'd won the game. But mostly it was because he put her keys in his front pants pocket and told her she had to fish them out herself if she wanted them. She'd declined.

When they'd finished their bickering match over what radio station to listen to, a mildly awkward silence fell between them. Kate started wondering what the hell she'd been thinking, agreeing to that stupid frickin' game, and tried to ignore the fact that Castle darted a glance at her out of the corner of his eye at least every 2.3 seconds. She was arguing with herself over whether or not to make it abundantly clear that this was definitely, _definitely_ not a date, when Castle spoke.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I got chased through New York with only one shoe and a moustache drawn on my face?"

Wow. She'd really thought there was nothing he could say that could surprise her anymore. Boy, was she wrong.

"I'm sorry, what?"

He'd laughed, turned his eyes away from the road just long enough to meet her eyes, and then he told her.

It was before a book signing for _Storm Warning_. He was on his way into the store, mobs of women pushing against the barriers on either side of him, when he'd stopped to tie his shoe.

"Seriously?" Kate interrupted. "You stopped to tie your shoe?"

"Do you have any idea how many accidents occur due to improperly tied shoes, Detective?"

"No. Care to share?"

He waved his hand at her. "Numbers aren't important. You can't put a number on safety."

She just smirked and he continued. He'd stopped to tie his shoe when all of a sudden the mob of women started climbing over the barriers and body slamming the security officers out of the way.

"I thought I was going to get trampled to death," he told her, his hands waving wildly in the air.

She watched him in amusement, noticing the way he drove with his knees whenever he was using his hands to make a point. "So what did you do?"

"I did what any self respecting man would do when confronted with two hundred women who want to have his baby. I ran."

And it had only gotten wilder from there. His shoe, untied, had slipped off. Of course he paused in the middle of the story to smugly point out his aforementioned view of improperly tied shoes. Then he'd detailed being chased through the streets, the taxi he jumped into and sped off in, and his mistaken assumption of safety that was shattered by the crazy fan who sprinted after the cab and hopped in with him at the next red light. And that's when he'd jumped.

"So the light turned green and the cabbie started to drive and crazy fan lady starts feeling me up so I opened the door and I jumped."

"You _jumped_?"

"Yes."

"Into the road in the middle of New York traffic?"

"What, you think I'm an idiot? I didn't jump into traffic. I jumped onto the hood of the cab driving next to us."

"Oh, you're right. That's not idiotic at all."

"Hey. I did what I had to do."

And that's when she'd double checked she was getting the story straight. Now they were both laughing, Kate holding her sides as her abs started to cramp.

"Oh God," she muttered. "You live such a terrible life, don't you, Castle?"

"Hey, someone's gotta do it. Not all of us can have the easy life of chasing down murderers."

Kate snorted and rolled her eyes. It was silent for a moment until she frowned. "Wait. You didn't tell me how you got a moustache drawn on your face."

"Oh, right. I did that to myself after I jumped off the hood of the cab and ran into a store. I thought it might throw people off."

Kate stared at him incredulously. "Yeah, or make them stare at you even more. Jesus, Castle."

He thrust his index finger in her face. "Hey until you've been chased by a bunch of crazy middle aged women trying to feel you up, you don't get to comment. Your comment making privileges are hereby revoked."

Kate just smirked and looked out the window. "Whatever you say, Castle."

She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window and then the reflection of Castle, who was now staring at her every 1.5 seconds instead of every 2.3. She was just about to tell him that staring at her when she was in the front seat of his Porsche was just as creepy as staring at her when she was doing paperwork when he pulled into a parking deck on the right side of the road.

"Where are we going?" Kate asked, looking around the parking deck interestedly. It was completely empty.

"It's a surprise."

"I hate surprises."

"I know."

He grinned at her as he pulled into a parking spot. She narrowed her eyes. "Castle. Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. How about you stop being Detective Beckett for a little bit and just be Kate?"

"They're the same person," she muttered, unhooking her seatbelt.

His hand fell on hers and stilled her movements. "Wait. Don't move."

Kate froze, cop mode taking over as her hand went toward her purse where she'd stashed her gun. Castle lunged out of the car and sprinted out of sight, and Kate was in the midst of twisting around to see where he'd gone when her door opened. She whipped around as her hand closed around her Sig Sauer, only to see Castle grinning down at her.

"My lady," he purred, offering his hand.

She shoved him. "Castle! What the hell. I thought something happened-"

"That's because you were being Detective Beckett and not Kate. Be Kate. She smiles more and is therefore less scary. Plus smiling increases your hot factor by like 8 points."

Kate glared at him, ignored his outstretched hand, and got out of the car on her own. Castle wasn't offended; he appeared to be incredibly amused.

"I like when you get all flustered," he informed her. "You get these cute little frown lines in between your eyebrows…"

"Shut up, Castle."

"I'm just saying."

He started toward the exit of the parking deck and Kate followed, folding her arms over her chest. Castle's hand was swinging loosely next to his side, and there was no way she was putting her hand anywhere near his. If he reached over to hold her hand and she was forced to punch him in the nose, she'd have to explain the black eye to Ryan and Esposito. Which meant admitting she let Castle buy her dinner. She'd never hear the end of it.

She followed Castle out of the parking deck, down the street two blocks, and then they stopped outside of a black steel door with the words _Italiano Joe's_ painted in small gold letters. Castle was reaching for the doorknob when Kate darted her hand out and gripped his forearm.

"Castle. This looks like something from a mob movie."

"I know, isn't it great?"

She gave him a look. "What is this place?"

"Only the best place in the world. Just trust me, Beckett."

And then he opened the door. Kate didn't have time to play with the words _trust me_ since she was far too busy staring around her at the restaurant she'd just walked into.

The floor was a faded hardwood, the walls deep burgundy. Old, scratched wooden tables and booths were littered everywhere, even though there was hardly anyone in the restaurant. There was a couple in the back, who didn't even look up from their conversation when Kate and Castle walked in, and there were two men to her right who looked up and then looked back to their dinner instantaneously. A large, pot bellied man suddenly appeared in front of them, wiping his hands on a dish towel.

"Ricky! How you doin?"

Kate raised her eyebrows. Definitely an Italian accent. Castle shook the man's hand jovially, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm good." He turned his body toward Kate, and suddenly is hand was on the small of her back. Kate jumped, surprised, and caught the amused twitch in Castle's smile. "Kate, this is Joe. Joe, this is the lovely Detective Beckett."

Joe turned his dark eyes to Kate and offered her his hand. She shook it. "Detective, huh? Ricky been a bad boy?"

"Isn't he always?"

Joe's eyes widened, impressed, and Castle's appreciative grin was impossible to miss. "Table for two," he said to Joe next.

"And the usual?"

"You like pepperoni on your pizza?" Castle asked her.

"Sure."

"Then yes, the usual."

Joe ambled back toward a door that Kate guessed led to the kitchen, and Castle gestured at the restaurant. "You have a preference, Detective?"

"Nope. This is your place, you pick."

He picked a booth in the back, and when a small dark haired woman asked them what they wanted to drink Kate ordered a Corona. Castle asked for one too, and when the waitress walked away he eyed Kate from across the table approvingly.

"Corona girl, huh?"

"I like the way it tastes. Why, what kind of girl is Nikki Heat?"

"Tequila."

Ah. Page 105. She'd almost forgotten. She looked down at her hands, suddenly realizing that she was in the last place she should be if she wanted to keep Castle at a distance. And that was definitely what she wanted, wasn't it? She didn't even like him. He was loud, annoying, inappropriate, childish…he was Richard Castle. The name really spoke for itself.

Then again, the Richard Castle plastered on page 6 was a little different than the Castle she'd gotten to know. The one who played laser tag with his teenage daughter on a night when he probably could've been out with any woman he wanted. The one who let his mother move in with him because she'd been taken for everything she had by her latest husband. The one who called her extraordinary, which was something that no man had ever, _ever_ called her.

She glanced around the restaurant. She'd been expecting something fancy. Somewhere where he would've been sure to be seen by a million fans and where they didn't print the prices on the menu because you'd have an aneurism if you saw them before you ate. But instead, he'd brought her here. Pizza and beer, and no one to spy on them.

"Not exactly what you were expecting, Beckett?"

Kate turned her eyes to Castle. "What do you mean?"

"The restaurant. You assumed I'd take you somewhere fancy and expensive?"

She hated when he read her mind like that. Really hated it. "I didn't assume anything," she said. "I didn't know where you'd take me. For all I knew you were going to haul me off to your lair and make me your next victim in a wildly violent serial killing spree."

Castle smiled. "If I hauled you off to my lair it wouldn't be to kill you."

"Very subtle, Castle."

The waitress brought their Coronas, limes sticking out of the necks of the bottles. Kate slid the lime down into the bottle, plugged the tip of it with her thumb, and tipped it upside down so that the lime rose to the bottom of the bottle. She paused with the bottle half way to her lips when she saw Castle staring at her.

"What are you gawking at?"

"That could be the sexiest thing I've ever seen you do."

Kate rolled her eyes and took a swig of beer. "You weren't joking about not playing hard to get."

"I like to keep things open. Explicit."

"I noticed."

They studied each other from across the table. Kate felt a ripple of heat beneath the surface of her skin. Castle was making no attempt to strike up a conversation, apparently content with staring at her until her head exploded from the awkwardness. She pushed her beer a little ways away from her hand and leaned her forearms on the table.

"So it's my turn, isn't it?"

He knit his eyebrows. "Your turn for what?"

"Truth or dare."

Castle suddenly looked like the Cheshire Cat again. "Why yes, Detective, it is."


	5. Chapter 5

"So, Castle…truth or dare?"

"Truth."

Kate raised her eyebrows. "Really? I would've pegged you as a dare guy."

"Well you have to take into consideration my present company," Castle replied, leaning back against the back of the booth. He was picking at his bottle of Corona, but his eyes hadn't left Kate in she didn't know how long.

"What does that mean?"

"What do you think it means?"

"Don't sidestep me, _Rick_. Something about being with me makes you want to avoid a dare? Afraid I'll arrest you after I dare you to steal another police horse naked?"

"If you want to see me naked, _Kate_, you can just ask. No need to involve a police horse."

Kate rolled her eyes, shook her head, and took a swig of Corona. It slid down her throat as she held Castle's eyes over the table, trying to read him. He was so _frustrating_. Hadn't he just told her he liked to keep things explicit? And now here he was, telling her that she changed him from a dare guy to a truth guy. What the hell did that even mean?

"You look like you're thinking hard," he murmured, leaning over the table. "Anything I can help with?"

"Bite me."

"Love to. Shouldn't I buy you dinner first though?"

She smirked but didn't miss a beat. "How many women have you brought here?"

That stopped him, but only for a moment. He leaned back again and took a swill of his beer. "Is that your truth question?"

"No. Just a question. What number am I? Twenty-three? Twenty-four?"

"Two."

Kate stared at him, her bottom lip finding its way underneath her teeth to be chewed. "Two?"

"Yes. Two. Alexis is number one. You are number two."

She broke eye contact instantly. Her self-diagnosed hunger pains had grown suddenly and indescribably hot. Her whole body felt warm, including her face. She tried to cover it with a disbelieving snort. "I'm not sure I believe you."

"You can ask Alexis if you like. I found this place when she was six. It's been our favorite place ever since."

Kate looked back at him, surprised. "It's been in business that long?"

"Well the majority of its business comes from take-out orders. I like being here, personally. It's the atmosphere. And I rarely get bothered. No fans crawling around."

Kate nodded vaguely. How odd, she thought, to have to worry about eating somewhere where you wouldn't get pestered for an autograph. She didn't think she'd like it, having people in her business like that. Of course thanks to Nikki Heat, her life was heading down that path. The other day a fan had actually asked for her autograph right after she'd asked for Castle's. Ridiculous.

The pizza came then, a huge pie of sizzling pepperoni, bubbling cheese, and all together greasy goodness. Kate smiled to herself. This was one of the reasons she loved New York. Best pizza in the world. She helped herself to a piece, noticing that Castle waited until she had hers to get his. Her hunger pains stabbed her, murmuring something about chivalry in her mind. She strangled the thought and dumped some parmesan cheese on her slice.

"So, Becks, are you going to ask me a question before I get old enough for Alexis to send me to a home and spend all my money?"

Kate smiled as she swallowed a mouthful of pizza. God, it was good. "Alexis would never send you to a home. Or spend your money."

"You're right," he acknowledged. "She'd probably _invest_ it or something. I don't know how that child came from me."

"I don't either." He stuck out his bottom lip in a pout and Kate rolled her eyes. "So? Question?"

"I'm thinking. Don't rush me."

"Right. Sorry."

Kate thought it over while she chewed her pizza. This was really too good to be true. She could ask him anything, anything at all, and he had to answer. Well, he didn't have to. But if he followed truth or dare rules like he followed jinx rules, he'd feel like he had to. And that meant he was completely at her mercy.

"Why'd you bring Amy to the precinct?"

What? _What?_ Had she really just asked that? God almighty. She was an idiot.

Castle smiled at her. "What do you mean?" He knew exactly what she meant. It was written all over his face that he knew, but he wanted to hear her say it. Damn him and his crooked half smile. Damn him to hell.

"I mean if she's not your girlfriend, why'd you ask her to stop by? Why'd you introduce her? Hoping you'd get a fist bump from the boys for landing a leggy blond?"

Castle set his pizza down on the plate in front of him and leaned forward. "Why, Detective Beckett, are you…jealous?"

Her laugh was sharp and completely see through. "Not even close, Castle. Your extracurricular sextivities aren't really high on my list of interests."

"Well that's a shame. Yours are high on mine."

She ignored him. "So why'd you do it? You didn't even have her stick around to meet the boys."

"That's because I didn't want her to meet the boys. I wanted her to meet you."

"Because you so desperately need my approval?"

"Because I was hoping she might spark the kind of reaction that's written all over your face right now."

Kate stared at him. Did he just say what she thought he'd said? Had he…had he set her up? She dropped her pizza onto her plate and it made a liquid plop sound from all the grease. She leaned forward. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that although Amy and I have been out a few times and she's a great girl, she's not my type."

"And your type is…?"

"You."

Her mouth was hanging open now. Straight up hanging open in shock. She couldn't tear her eyes away from him. He just kept munching on his pizza, never taking his eyes off of her and never wavering from a crooked smile even though he was chewing. After a moment he leaned forward, his hand reaching across the table and toward her face, and Kate shifted out of his reach instantly. He smiled and wiggled his fingers at her.

"Come here, Becks."

She just frowned at him. Before she knew what was happening he rose half way to his feet, reached forward and swiped his finger over the corner of her mouth, and then promptly stuck his finger into his mouth.

"Sauce," he told her when her frown deepened. "Don't worry, I got it."

Kate shook her head. "You're an arrogant ass, you know that?"

"Yes, I'm aware. And you're incredibly stubborn. Did you know that?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kate snapped.

"Come on, Kate. Just say it. You were jealous."

"Was not."

"Were too."

"Was not."

"Were…for real? You're really going to deny this?"

"To the grave. I wasn't jealous. I'm _not_ jealous. That would imply something that is…"

"A secret fantasy of yours?" Castle supplied when she couldn't find the words. She narrowed her eyes.

"Castle. Let me make two things abundantly clear to you. First, I am not, nor have I ever been, jealous of any of your women. Deep fried Twinkie, leggy blond…couldn't care less about any of them."

"And number two?"

"This is definitely _not _a date."

He laughed. "Oh, I know that. If this was a date I would've brought you flowers. And probably tried to hold your hand on our walk here. Oh, and I definitely would've kissed that sauce off your mouth instead of wiping it off."

Kate stared at him. She really wanted to say something, something that would shut him up and put her back in control, but she had nothing. Nothing except hunger pains that were most likely not hunger pains since her slice of pizza was almost gone.

Shit.

Castle grinned at her from across the table, finished his beer, and then leaned back and surveyed her with a dark twinkle in his eye.

"So. Truth or dare, Kate?"


	6. Chapter 6

Kate eyed Castle from across the table. His body posture was relaxed, his face smoothed into an amused and slightly smug grin, and she wasn't sure he was even blinking because he was staring at her so intently. He was in complete control. She was backed into a figurative corner, with no way to escape.

Truth or dare. Truth? Or dare? Neither was good. Truth, he was going to ask her something that would make her blush. Was she really jealous of Amy? Did she ever think about him dragging her off to his lair and having his wicked way with her? Had she ever used her handcuffs in a non-professional capacity? Dare was no good either. She could only imagine what he would think of if he was allowed to dare her to do anything he wanted. Christ, that would be bad.

She reached for her beer in a way that she hoped looked casual and unruffled. "Can I pass?"

"Nope. Unless it makes you uncomfortable."

"You're not getting chivalrous on me, are you, Castle?"

"I wouldn't dream of it."

She was contemplating her next move when he leaned across the table eagerly, almost far enough that his back end was off of his seat. "You want to know why this is so hard for you?"

"Sure. Analyze away."

"It's because you're being Detective Beckett again."

Kate clicked her tongue once and set her beer bottle down. "What does that even mean? I am Detective Beckett."

"But you're Kate too."

"Are you drunk?" she asked him, arching an eyebrow. "After one beer?"

He grinned. "Why? You want to take advantage of me? Because I am _so_ okay with that."

"Well I'm not. Keep dreaming, Castle."

He laughed. "Let me explain it to you. Detective Beckett is…Detective Beckett is Superman."

Kate furrowed her eyebrows. "You're comparing me to a superhero who wears his underwear outside of spandex leggings?"

"Don't knock Superman," Castle said seriously. "He's awesome."

"Your man crush on Superman does not explain what you just said," Kate pointed out.

Castle sighed. "Okay. It's like this; Superman is a superhero, right? He goes around saving the world and solving everyone's problems and generally being a badass."

"Okay…"

"Well that's what you do at work. You're Detective Beckett, badass homicide detective with a wicked shot and a mouth that should be registered as a weapon." Kate smiled. "But at the end of the day, Superman takes the cape off. The cape is his alter ego; it's who he has to be. But Clark Kent…that's who he really is."

"And you're implying that Clark Kent is…"

"Kate. The Kate side of you is Clark Kent. That's the side that smiles a lot. The side that decided to play a game with me."

Kate watched him, gnawing on her bottom lip. "And you're telling me I should be Kate instead of Detective Beckett?"

"Not necessarily. The world would be worse off without Detective Beckett. All I'm saying is that you should be Kate a little more often than you let yourself. Take the cape off sometimes."

Kate took it all in, mulling over the words. He'd compared her to Superman; that was a first. But it was the truth behind his analysis that really scared her. Because if she was being totally honest with herself, he was right. Aside from tonight, she couldn't remember the last time she'd taken off her cape. Being Detective Beckett was easier than being Kate. Kate had feelings and emotions and needs and hunger pains. Kate did irrational things like get in a Porsche with a man who made her warm in all the right places and flirt shamelessly with him over a pizza and beers.

"So we've established I have multiple personalities," she started, folding her hands in her lap. "The question is how do my personalities answer the question of truth or dare?"

"Well, that's the thing. Detective Beckett picks truth because it's got no risk and she can always make an answer up since I'll never really know if she's telling the truth. But Kate…Kate is a little more complicated."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning she's afraid to pick dare because she has no idea what my diabolical mind could think of." He lowered his voice to a whisper that she had to lean forward to hear. "But secretly, she really wants to pick dare. Because there's this little part of her that is just _dying_ to be reckless and dangerous. And she knows that nobody does reckless and dangerous like me."

Kate regarded him steadily. "Maybe that's the problem. Maybe she's going to end up picking truth because she doesn't trust you. Women may want reckless and dangerous, Rick, but that doesn't mean it's what they need."

Castle nodded his head. "True. But sometimes reckless and dangerous men are only reckless and dangerous because they're trying to catch the eye of someone who's completely out of their league."

Kate faltered for a moment, fighting a blush, and then was back on track. "Acting their age is usually a more successful approach."

"That's not true. Because women like you, women who are competent and professional and guarded…they want two things from a man. First, they want to laugh. I mean really laugh. Not that polite shit that you have to do when you go out with the stock brokers and lawyers that your friends set you up with."

Kate felt the smile tugging at her lips, mainly because her last date had been filled with polite laughs. "And second?"

"And second, they want to be totally and completely out of control. Usually they're in such control of their feelings and everything else around them that they run their lives like a puppet master. But really all they want is to be out of control. It reminds them that they're capable of feeling something."

Kate bit her lip and looked down at her unfinished slice of pizza. She let the silence linger for a minute, letting it speak for itself. "That's quite an analysis, Dr. Castle," she said softly after a while. "Dr. Phil better watch his back."

When he didn't respond she lifted her eyes to look at him. He was staring at her in a way that she'd never seen him stare at her before. It was amused but not humorous, serious but not solemn, and somehow appreciative and lustful all at the same time. Damn, the man had incredible nonverbals. She felt the goose bumps race over her skin, but she was warm.

"Truth or dare?" he murmured after a moment.

Kate held his eyes over the table. Something suddenly struck her, a sort of wild abandon, and all of a sudden she realized what she'd been ignoring all night long. Something flickered in Castle's eyes, something that made her toes curl, and before she knew it she was moving her foot underneath the table from her side to his side. She didn't break eye contact as she lifted her foot and ran the toe of her high heel up the side of his calf. His posture went rigid instantly, his eyes widening, and Kate gave him a stunning smile.

"Dare."


	7. Chapter 7

Kate was in complete control. She knew that. And yet for some reason she had never felt more out of control, more _reckless_, in her entire life.

It was incredible.

Castle's lips smoothed into a smile that was dark, impressed, and decidedly sexy. Lord, the man was attractive. She hadn't really noticed before. Well, that was a lie. She'd noticed. She'd just ignored it. Somehow she couldn't really ignore it anymore.

"Better make it a good one," she murmured to him in a low voice. Her foot trailed a little higher up his leg. "You never know when you'll get this chance again."

"I'm hoping quite often."

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

"I've been ahead of myself since I met you. But that's okay…you just caught up."

Something was pounding through Kate's veins, something insistent, blazing, and unconquerable. She jumped when she felt the brush of Castle's fingertips against the skin of her ankle. She hadn't realized he'd moved his hands beneath the table, or that he was planning to touch her. The jolt of surprise turned the tables again, and Kate was breathless. Their incessant back and forth was really doing a number on her.

"You're right, though," he agreed. "It has to be good. Something Nikki Heat would approve of."

Kate smirked at him. "I'm not Nikki Heat, Castle."

"No, you're not. You're _much_ better."

She arched an eyebrow. "Fantasize much?"

"You have no idea."

They were coming dangerously close to crossing a line, and fast. Kate knew it. She saw the line right in front of her, and saw her toes resting on top of the very edge of it. She wondered what would take them over, and in the same instant she answered her own question. He would have to kiss her. She wouldn't kiss him. Not the first time. It wasn't her style. She didn't give guys her phone number, didn't ask them out, and never made the first move. Call her old-fashioned, though guarded was probably a better term. No, she wouldn't kiss him. He'd have to kiss her.

Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't use everything in her arsenal to get him to make the first move.

Kate leaned forward, shifting Castle's fingertips a little higher on her leg, up to the bottom of her calf, in the process. She'd shaved this morning in the shower. Thank God.

"Care to share any of them?" she asked him brazenly. His fingers traced a circle on her skin, and she had to try really, really hard not to close her eyes.

"I've got a Pinot Noir at my apartment," he murmured in reply. "Interested?"

"That doesn't sound like a dare to me, Castle."

"You're not going to make this easy on me, are you?"

Kate smiled coyly, biting her lip before she answered. "You may not play hard to get, but I do."

"And you are very, very good at it."

Kate leaned an inch closer. "Dare me," she whispered.

He leaned forward too. "I dare you to do what you've been thinking about doing all night."

"How do you know I haven't been thinking about going back to my apartment alone and going to bed early?"

"You're not."

"Awfully sure of yourself there, Castle."

He shrugged. "It's a gift."

"Arrogance as a gift. Interesting. I've never heard it quite like that."

He flashed her a grin, and she knew what he was going to say before he even said it. "I've got lots of gifts, Kate. I'd love to share them with you."

"I'm sure you would."

His fingers traced a little higher on her leg. "Although to be honest, I'd rather have you share your gifts with me…"

Kate flashed back to her first case with Castle and a snippet of their conversation.

_Why, Castle? So I can be another one of your conquests?_

_Or I could be one of yours._

She should've known then. Should've known that someday, sooner or later, she would end up in this place. And here she was; sitting across from Richard Castle at a hole-in-the-wall pizza joint where nobody could see them half a second away from lunging at each other over the table. Castle had been teasing her from day one that it was inevitable, and she'd always thought he was full of shit. She wasn't so sure anymore.

Their waitress appeared then. Kate dropped her foot out of his hand and away from his leg, and Castle sent her a pout across the table, complete with his bottom lip stuck out as far as it would go. She looked away from him and at the waitress. "Can I get you some dessert?" the waitress asked.

Castle didn't take his eyes off of Kate. "No, thank you. But could you box the pizza up, please? The lady and I would like to finish it elsewhere."

Kate turned her eyes to Castle, her eyebrows raised. A brief moment passed, but Kate watched it slide away without offering an argument.

"Of course, Mr. Castle."

Castle held his credit card out next, but the waitress shook her head. "Joe says it's on the house. In honor of finally meeting your girlfriend."

Kate whipped her head around to stare at the waitress, stunned. She knew she was wearing the same kind of expression she would if a suspect had just admitted to killing a victim, but she didn't care. The waitress froze, wondering what she'd done wrong, and Castle jumped in. "Alexis and I may or may not talk about you," he offered as an explanation. "A lot."

Kate fixed her eyes on him. "And you called me your girlfriend?"

He grinned. "No. Joe just assumed."

"Right."

"I'll just get this out of your way," the waitress said awkwardly, and lifted the pizza off the table. She was away from their table as fast as she could move, and Kate didn't break eye contact with Castle.

"You talk about me, huh?"

"All the time."

"I'm not sure how I feel about that."

"Feel flattered. I only discuss extraordinary women with Alexis. Which brings the grand total to…one."

The waitress appeared at their table again. "Here's your pizza, Mr. Castle. Thank you." She practically jogged away once the pizza box was resting safely on the table. Kate almost felt bad. She probably should've reeled in the interrogating detective expression, but she'd been a little preoccupied.

"Kate." Castle said her name in a low voice, a voice that made a shiver race down her spine. "Tell me what you've been thinking about all night."

"I thought you already knew."

He smiled. "I think I do. But you're a hard woman to predict."

She tilted her head and studied him, honestly wondering what he wanted. Did he only want to sleep with her? The fact that he wanted her was entirely clear. She supposed the fact that she wanted him too had been obvious ever since she'd felt him up with her foot underneath the table. But was that all he wanted? One night? And was she okay with that?

But even though she had a stack of evidence against him; his reputation, his tendency to flirt with anything female that moved, her own reluctance to trust him…even then, there was something about him. He didn't just know that she smelled like cherries. He knew _why_. He knew she wore her detective's badge like a shield from anything remotely personal. And now that she thought about it, he'd flat out told her that he couldn't imagine her as a conquest. It didn't get more explicit than that. But still…

Kate saw something move out of the corner of her eye, and her gaze darted in that direction instantly. It was one of the consequences of being a cop; she always had to know what was going on around her. Her eyes fell on Joe, who was rustling around behind the bar that lined one side of the restaurant. An idea suddenly came to her, and Kate was out of the booth in a heartbeat.

"Kate?" Castle called, but she ignored him. She made her way toward the bar and leaned over it when she got there.

"Hey. Joe."

Joe turned around to look at her. "Detective Beckett. Did you enjoy your dinner?"

"It was great. Listen, I have a question."

"Okay…"

"How many women has Rick brought here?"

Joe stared at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Women," she repeated. "Like dates. How many women has Rick brought here on dates?"

Joe still looked puzzled. "Just you, Detective. Ricky usually comes with Alexis."

"And he's never brought another woman here? Not in ten years?"

"No."

Hmm. Interesting. She looked at Castle over her shoulder while still leaning on the bar. He was halfway out of the booth, his eyebrows knit in confusion. She stared at him for a minute, thinking, and then made up her mind. She started for the door.

"Kate?" Castle said again. She paused half way to the door and turned to look at him. He was standing next to the booth now, probably unsure if she wanted him to follow. She smiled.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked him. "I can't get into your apartment without you."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm pretty sure this isn't M. Maybe borderline. If you think the rating should be changed, please let me know. I don't want to offend anyone. Also, there will be one more chapter after this, and then Dangerous Game comes to a close. However, there is a sequel in the works called Hunted. Please let me know what you think of the idea of a sequel. As always, your reviews are much appreciated. Hope you enjoy :) **

In the elevator on the way up to his apartment, Castle held Kate's hand.

Not right away of course. When the elevator doors closed, they were standing next to each other. Close, but not on top of each other. Not touching. Castle had moved his hand forward ever so slightly, so that his knuckles brushed against Kate's. Neither of them looked at each other; they just watched the numbers on the display above the doors slowly increase.

After three floors Castle moved again, this time clutching Kate's pinky finger with his thumb and index finger. He trailed his fingertips up the side of her hand, and then over the inside of her wrist. Kate swallowed. She had to fight not to close her eyes, but it was a downright internal war not to turn and lunge at him.

His fingers traced to her palm next, caressing it in small circles as three more floors passed. Kate started biting her tongue, trying to steady her breathing through her nose. Holy shit, he knew how to drive a woman crazy.

Finally his fingers slid forward, weaved in between hers, and then grew still once his hand was interlaced with hers. Kate looked down at their hands. Christ. They were holding hands.

She felt a tug on her hand, and her body was suddenly propelled forward and to the side, aligning with Castle's body. His free hand tilted her chin up so that their eyes met. His fingers moved along her jaw line next, tracing the outline of her face until his hand flattened against her cheek. His fingers pressed against her neck just behind her ear, and his thumb trailed along her bottom lip.

"Kate," he whispered.

She swallowed but didn't trust her voice to respond.

"I don't know if I ever told you this, but…" he trailed off. She wanted to smack him. But _what_? What had he never told her?

"You're beautiful."

Oh. That. God damn it. She was blushing, wasn't she? She was one of those women that melted when Rick Castle told them they were beautiful. Ridiculous.

"You say that to all the girls you bring back to your place?" she murmured. She couldn't help it. As much as she wanted to reach forward, pull the Emergency Stop button, and let Castle haul her up against the wall, part of her was worried. Because she really wasn't sure she could be just a one-night stand.

He smiled. "Only the ones I write books about."

"You've never had a female main character, Rick."

"Exactly."

The elevator arrived on his floor with a loud ding, and Kate wanted to groan in frustration. Instead she gave Castle a sultry smile, squeezed his hand, and got off the elevator. She let go of his hand, but as they started down the hall he trailed his fingers from her shoulder downward and interlaced his hand with hers again.

Kate cut a quick glance at him out of the corner of her eye. "Still not a date, Castle."

He laughed. "There'll be plenty of time for dates, love. I just want to hold your hand."

What the hell. Had he just called her_ love_? And what did he mean there would be plenty of time for dates? This wasn't a one-night stand? Or was he just joking? What had she gotten herself into?

Castle stopped in front of his apartment and released her hand to unlock the door. He swung it open, gestured her inside, and then followed her in. When he turned the light switch on, Kate was greeted with the sight of his incredibly large, incredibly well furnished loft. He tossed his keys onto a nearby table and looked at her.

"Wine?"

"Please."

She watched him make his way to the kitchen, taking off his coat, but she didn't follow. She was second guessing herself. What was she thinking? This was Castle, for Christ's sake. She had to work with him every day. This was a terrible, terrible idea. She should go. Just say she didn't feel well and that she'd catch him tomorrow at work. Maybe take a rain check if he insisted, even though she had no intention of honoring it.

She was opening her mouth to say it, to lie her way out of a situation that could potentially make her emotional and vulnerable, when Castle appeared with two filled wine glasses. He saw her standing by the front door, her coat still on, and stopped. He smiled.

"You didn't take your coat off."

She looked down at herself and her coat. "Yeah…"

When she looked back up he was setting the wine glasses down on a table by the couch. He walked toward her, his eyes fixed on hers. He stopped in front of her, but didn't touch her. He waited until she met his eyes on her own, and then took a step forward so that his body was close to hers.

Kate did it automatically, without even thinking. She took a step back. Castle smiled, took another step forward. Kate stepped back. Her back bumped against the door. Castle took the final step, closing in on her, his eyes dancing.

"Kate."

"Yeah?"

"You having second thoughts about your dare?"

She swallowed. "What would make you say that?"

She tried to scoot toward the right, but his hand was suddenly planted on the door next to her head, blocking her escape. He leaned some of his weight on it casually. "Oh, I don't know. You seem…skittish."

"Skittish?" Kate repeated. "Don't be ridiculous. I asked for the dare, didn't I?"

She scooted to her left this time, but Castle's hand was suddenly planted on that side too. She was now effectively trapped between the door, Castle's body, and his two arms. She tried not to look at his arms. Did he lift weights? They were sort of big for someone who just wrote for a living…

"That's true," Castle answered. "But you don't have to stay."

"I don't?"

"No. I would never make you stay. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't be really, really disappointed if you left."

His eyes burned into her and she felt a stab of white hot heat somewhere down south. Jesus, she wanted him. So badly. All those times of almost and not quite and what if…it all came down to this, didn't it? She couldn't leave. Not even if she wanted to. And she definitely didn't want to. Oh, the things she would do to him…

Kate lifted her hands and slowly undid the top button her coat. She watched as Castle's eyes flickered down to watch her hands, and then back up. She smirked at him. She undid the next button, and the next. She knew he was fighting to keep his eyes on hers, but she also knew he'd fail. And he did. His eyes moved down to her hands and watched. She reached the last button and her coat came open. She rolled her shoulders back and the coat slid down her arms and onto the floor into a puddle of fabric at her feet.

Castle looked up at her and she smiled haughtily. She lifted her hand, fiddled with the top button of his shirt, and then flicked it open. She leaned forward, raising up on her toes, and stopped an inch from his mouth. "Be a good boy and hang up my coat for me, will you?"

Kate ducked under his arm and headed for the wine glasses before Castle knew what was happening. Once her fingers closed around a glass and lifted it to her lips, she allowed herself to turn around and look at him. He had her coat folded over his arm, but he hadn't moved to hang it up. He was leaning against the door, watching her. She arched an eyebrow at him over the rim of her glass.

"You're gawking again."

"Do you mind?"

Kate lifted a shoulder carelessly. "Not really." She turned away from him and started walking through his loft, her fingers trailing along the back of his leather couch. "This really is a great place."

She heard the door of the coat closet shut and turned around. Castle grabbed his own wine glass on his way toward her. "Thanks. I picked it for the security."

"Gotta fight off all those adoring fans, right?"

"Well there's that. And Alexis."

He stopped in front of her and brought his glass to his lips, holding her eyes while he drank. Kate just watched him, her eyes roaming down to his mouth that covered the edge of his glass. A flurry of color, heat, and light crashed through her mind, and for a moment all she could see was her imagination's idea of what it would look like to have him hovering over her.

"So," Castle said, lowering his glass.

"So," she repeated.

Kate let him search her eyes, wondering what he was going to say. She would eat her badge before she ever admitted it, but she secretly liked the feeling she got in the pit of her stomach when she wasn't sure what was going to come out of his mouth next. Especially when he was standing this close.

"You never told me," he said in a low voice.

"Told you what?"

"What you've been thinking all night. I dared you to do what you were thinking, but you never actually told me what it was you were thinking."

She smiled. "Would you like to guess?"

"Expert," he muttered, shaking his head and smiling at her in awe. "You're an expert at playing hard to get."

"Are you complaining?"

"No. I like the chase."

Kate downed the rest of the wine in her glass and then lifted a hand to pat him on the chest. "Keep chasing, Castle. Maybe you'll get to the finish line eventually."

For the second time that night Kate stepped around a dangerously close Richard Castle and walked away. She knew she was taking playing hard to get to a completely new level, but really for them it wasn't all that new. She'd been playing hard to get for a long time now, starting the day when she'd whispered in his ear that he had no idea what he was missing.

She headed into his kitchen this time, toward the fridge. She opened it when she got there, saw the bottle of Pinot Noir, and took it out. When she turned back to the expansive island counter in the middle of the kitchen, Castle was already by her side. He reached for her, plucking her wine glass and the bottle of wine out of her hand and setting them on the counter. Then he slid his arms around her waist and hauled her up against him. She swallowed, reminded herself to breathe, and met his eyes.

"No more running, Kate."

"Who's running?"

"No more games."

"I thought you liked games."

He pushed his body into her, walking her backward, and she felt the edge of the countertop connect with her back. She bit her lip. Castle leaned forward slowly, but he didn't go for her mouth; instead he went for her ear, pulling the lobe into his mouth and nipping at it with his teeth. His tongue was warm and wet and Kate let her eyes flutter closed. God that felt good.

"Kate," he murmured in her ear.

She shivered. She tilted her head just to the left, exposing her neck, and he went there next. Light kisses, bites, the flicking of his tongue…she was trembling. Her breathing was catching in her throat, giving it away to Castle just how much of an effect he had on her. His hand caressed its way up her side to the front of her blouse, and he pulled his mouth away from her ear as his fingers slipped down the neck of the blouse. She felt the chain that ran through her mother's ring move, and when she glanced down she saw him holding the ring in his fingers. She looked up at him. He was looking down at the ring, smiling at it, and when he looked up at her she felt like her entire body had erupted into an inferno.

"Will you leave it on?"

Another blaze of heat seared through her. She could've pretended she didn't know what he was talking about. Could've played it coy, or flirty, or anything. But she didn't.

She reached up and took the ring out of his hands. "I never have before."

"There's a first time for everything."

Kate let the double meaning sink in, and then sidestepped his question with an expertise that was impressive.

"You know what they say about writers and their muses?"

"What?"

"They say they shouldn't sleep together. It ruins the illusion."

The corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile. "I'm sure it does, for men who want their illusions. Fortunately for me, I never wanted Nikki Heat. I only want you."

And then, before she knew what was happening, he leaned forward and kissed her. It caught her off guard. She had been expecting wordplay, not a kiss. But God, it was a good surprise. Something exploded in the back of Kate's brain as she closed her eyes and kissed him back. The explosion rocketed through her body, hurtling through her veins, spreading a heat that was centralized in the same place she'd been warm all night. She was kissing Castle. Rick Castle. Famous novelist. Her pseudo-partner. She was kissing him.

Damn, he was a good kisser.

She lifted her hands and rested them gently on his abs, then trailed them up to his chest, over his shoulders, around his neck, and into his hair. As her arms closed around his neck he squeezed her with his fingertips, gripping her hips tightly. Kate nipped at his bottom lip with her teeth and felt Rick grin. She grinned too. She parted her lips in invitation, and he didn't hesitate.

His kisses got better as they got deeper. His tongue slid in and out of her mouth, demanding, unrelenting, and she felt herself slipping out of control. For the first time in her life, she didn't care. She wanted to be out of control. He was right. She wanted to laugh, and Lord knew he could make her laugh. Drove her crazy and annoyed the hell out of her sometimes, but the man could make her laugh. And she wanted to be out of control. She wanted to _feel_ something. And right now, feeling was all she was capable of.

His hands were on the move, and Kate felt them as if they were on fire. He was back up at the top of her blouse again, and she thought he was reaching for her ring when she noticed the top button of her blouse came undone. And then another. And another. She moved her arms from around his neck, darted her hands down toward the buttons on his shirt, and ripped the shirt clean open before he could finish her buttons. She slid the shirt off of his body and tossed it away.

"That what you had in mind on page 105?" she murmured against his lips.

He smiled and kissed her as his fingers finished her buttons. Her shirt was sliding off as he put his mouth next to her ear again. "I thought your clothes weren't coming off, Detective?"

"Shut up, Castle."

He surprised her by hoisting her up on the counter then easily pulling himself up and on top of her. He did have nice arms. Damn, the counter was cold on her skin. Suddenly it didn't matter as she felt the heat of Rick's body on top of her. She raked her nails up his back.

"And if I don't?" he teased, hovering over her.

She traced her nails down his abs, grinning when his muscles went taut and he sucked in a breath. She nibbled his bottom lip as her hands came to rest on his belt buckle.

"Then you won't get to see how my handcuffs work."

He shut up.


	9. Chapter 9

Kate opened her eyes slowly because her eyelids felt heavy. Once they were open and she was awake enough to focus, she frowned. That was not her bedside table next to the bed. Her eyes flickered to the sheets of the bed. Those weren't her sheets, either. Her eyes went lower, and she realized there was an arm snaked around her naked torso. A hairy arm. A strangely familiar hairy arm.

Oh.

_Oh! _

Memories from the night before crashed over her like a tidal wave, and she was helpless against the sudden pulsating of heat a few inches beneath the hairy arm around her torso. A faint blush crept over her cheeks next. Oh, God. The things he'd done. The things _she'd_ done.

She replayed the night in her head. A game at the precinct. Italiano Joe's. The elevator ride up to the loft and then...Jesus Christ. The kitchen counter. She'd had sex with Rick Castle on his kitchen counter.

And then on his leather couch.

Then in his bed.

Twice.

And goddamn, it was _good_.

Kate looked down at the arm still wrapped around her. She lifted one of her hands slowly and gently ran her fingers over the hair on his forearm. She smiled. A little part of her started laughing, mocking the fact that she was grinning like an idiot while stroking a man's arm hair after a night of wild sex. But another part, a much bigger part, was thinking about the man the arm hair belonged to.

He'd been nothing like she expected, but then everything like she expected too. He was sweet. Not overbearingly so, not in a way that made her want to bolt. It wouldn't have taken much. She was flighty, to say the least, when it came to emotions pertaining to men. But Rick had been…perfect. There was an image seared into her brain, possibly permanently, of them on his couch. Of his body on top of hers, his eyes locked with hers, and then his words. Breathy. Barely audible, but enough to make her heart riot. _You're beautiful._

His sweetness vied with something else, too. Something that she could only label as assertiveness. She'd been with men before; she wasn't a nun. But being with Rick made her feel like maybe she had never really been with a _man_. He'd been daring, confident, aggressive in the best way possible. Time flew by and she'd slipped more out of control by the second, but it didn't matter. That was the point. Lord, he made her feel like a woman. Not a homicide detective. Not his muse. Not a giggly fan girl, or even his almost-best-friend. But a _woman_.

She looked down at herself. She was naked. Definitely naked. And if she was naked, she'd bet her entire pension he was naked too. Something glinted in the corner of her eye, and she realized that the necklace with her mother's ring was still around her neck. She'd never worn it during sex before. It was always the first thing she took off. Her mom's ring stood for a huge part of herself, a part that she rarely let anyone see. Especially men, since they seemed so temporary.

But for some reason, she hadn't taken it off last night. He'd even asked her about it. It's not like she could forget it was there. But she hadn't taken it off. He'd asked her if she would keep it on, and he'd asked because he knew it was a part of who she was. He _wanted_ her to be vulnerable. He _wanted_ her to trust him.

But why?

She had all sorts of reasons floating around in her head. She didn't want to think about them right now. Right now, all she wanted was some water. She was a little dehydrated from their…workout.

Kate shifted her body slightly, wondering if she would wake Rick up if she moved. She could feel him behind her, spooning her, and she let herself contemplate for a second how warm he was. Then she lifted his arm off her torso, slid out of bed as gracefully as she could, and set his arm back down on the sheets gently.

The moment she was without skin contact she was cold. She glanced around the room and spotted a dress shirt of his lying haphazardly over a nearby chair. It was simple, white, long sleeved. She reached for it and pulled it on, buttoning three buttons and leaving the rest. Then she padded toward the bathroom that was attached to his room.

She spotted a stack of Dixie cups by the sink and was reaching for one when she realized they were Bob the Builder cups. Bob the Builder? Really, Castle? She shook her head and smirked as she filled one with water from the faucet and drank it. The man was like a seven year old. Not all the time. Definitely not last night. Heat washed over her for the hundredth time. God, last night.

Kate heard a sound to her right and whirled around, her hand going to her hip automatically. As if she had a gun the morning after. Ridiculous.

Rick was leaning in the doorway in nothing but Superman boxers, his arms folded over his chest. He was smiling at her, and Kate felt a twist in her heart. Dear God, no. She could not be falling for this man. Not after one night.

"Hi," he said.

She smiled. "Hi."

He let his eyes travel up her body appreciatively, from her toes to her eyes. "You look good in my clothes."

She shrugged and tossed the Bob the Builder cup in the trash. "It's comfy. I think I might steal it."

"Fine by me."

Kate wondered why this wasn't more awkward. Wasn't it supposed to be awkward? They'd crossed a line in their relationship last night, a line they couldn't go back on. No more unresolved sexual tension. Now it was resolved. Well maybe not permanently resolved, judging from the way his eyes on her body made her feel warm and tingly in all sorts of places. But still. Things had changed, and they couldn't change back. They could pretend it had never happened, but pretending only went so far. Something had changed between her and Rick. And there it was; she didn't say Castle in her head anymore. It was Rick now. After all, that's what she'd moaned last night when he…

Christ.

He was walking toward her now, and when he got to her he placed his hands on either side of her face and pulled her in for a kiss. Kate clutched his sides, pulling him closer as she kissed him back and felt a familiar rush of warmth, excitement, and maybe a little fear. Rick pulled away and smiled at her.

"Just so you know I have absolutely no objection to you wearing my clothes. It'll make my daydreams at the precinct that much better."

Same old Castle. Why was she surprised? Had she thought that he'd stop being Castle just because they'd slept together? She was relieved he hadn't. And also oddly turned on.

"You have sexual daydreams about me at the precinct?"

"Oh, absolutely. There's this one where you pull over your Crown Vic to lecture me on something and we end up steaming up the windows…" he trailed off and glanced up at the ceiling, his face thoughtful and lustful at the same time. It was an interesting combination.

"You know that would never, ever happen right?"

He looked down at her. "Never ever?"

"Never ever."

He pouted for a minute, and then his lips burst into a devilish smile. "That's okay. I've got plenty of others."

She patted his chest. "Good for you. Nice Dixie cups, by the way."

"Hey, Bob the Builder is very inspirational. All about being able to do things. Speaking of doing things…" Kate couldn't stifle an eye roll. Rick kissed it away and then grew a little more serious. "You want to talk about last night?"

She avoided his eyes. "Do we need to?"

"I mean, I…" he trailed off, put a finger under her chin to turn her face back up toward his and make eye contact with him, and then continued. "I think it might be a good idea."

She dropped her hands from where they were still clutching his sides. "Listen, Rick, if you just want to go back to how things were-"

"How things were?" he sputtered. "Are you crazy?" Kate looked up at him, stunned. He recovered quickly. "I mean, if that's what you want. Whatever you want, Kate."

"What do _you_ want?"

Yes, it was absolutely the coward's way out. But she'd be damned if she was going to stand in front of Rick Castle in nothing but his shirt and tell him that she'd really, really like to see him in a non-professional capacity, let alone do what they did last night at least, oh, a million times more.

She read his expression, wondering what he would say. "What do I want?" he repeated. She nodded, and he seemed to catch on that she didn't want to go first. He rose to the occasion, stepping up to the plate for her. He took a deep breath, looked her straight in the eye, and let the words tumble from his mouth in a flurry.

"I want to take you out on a date. I mean the whole nine yards. Pick you up at your door, bring you flowers, hold your hand. I want it all. I want to see you in a different one of my shirts every morning. I want you to do movie marathons with me and Alexis. But mostly, right now, I want to know if this was just sex for you. Because it wasn't just sex for me."

He finished with a sigh. Kate stared up at him, feeling a million different things, but she couldn't decide which emotion to focus on.

"Wasn't for me either," she whispered finally.

His grin was adorable. Sometimes he really was charming as all hell. "Really?"

"Yes."

"So? Can I take you on a date?"

It hit her then. An inordinate amount of pure terror. She was falling for him. Fast. He knew things about her that no one else knew. He could read her like a book. Even in bed, he knew not just what she wanted, but what she needed. Holy shit, she _felt_ something for him. She hadn't felt something like this in a very, very long time. Maybe ever. It scared the hell out of her.

She ran her hands up his bare chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, because even as scared as she was she still wanted to touch him. "I can't do this fast."

He looked confused. "Okay…"

"Can we just…take it slow?"

"Kate, if you don't want-"

"I do," she cut him off gently. "I do. I just…I need you to be patient. Can you be patient?"

"For you? Absolutely." The sincerity in his eyes bowled her over. Serious Castle. She wasn't used to this yet. She liked it, though; liked it as much as she liked his other side. She didn't say anything in response; she just kissed him. When she pulled away he brushed some of her hair behind her ear. "So what now?"

Kate grinned. She disentangled herself from his arms and waltzed over to the shower, where she reached in and turned the knob for hot water on all the way. Then she started on the buttons of her shirt, agonizingly slow.

"Now?" she murmured. "Now, I need to shower." Her shirt fell from her body in a flutter of white. "Want to join me?"

She didn't have to ask twice.

_**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the ride…or rather, the game :) The sequel to this fic is called Hunted, and will be posted soon. It will be rated M. It's a little more angsty and dramatic than this one; can't always be smooth sailing for Beckett and Castle, right? Please, please check it out if you'd like. Thanks for all your lovely reviews throughout this story…they are much appreciated. Happy Holidays, everyone.**_


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